1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to systems for dispensing coins that use bin type storage for coin inventory. More specifically it relates to a system adapted to accept, validate, sort, and dispense coins.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
Coin dispensers generally employ a canister for holding a supply of coins in various denominations. The coins are held in stacks within tubular receptacles constructed in the canisters. Each stack is made up of a different denomination of coin having different diameters. Filling the canisters is done manually in advance of the deployment of the dispenser and is periodically replenished as the coins are depleted. Since the tubular receptacles are designed for the physical shape of the coin, configurations of this type lack flexibility for accommodating different sets of coins. This has led to the use of bin style storage that employs an array of bins for storing coins in bulk. The coins are distributed by denomination, i.e. a bin for each denomination of coin used. Bin style storage is not restricted by the physical characteristics of the coin. Such coin storage systems facilitate storing, loading and unloading of coins in a coin handling system.
Many coin dispensers are employed in point of sale machines, such as vending machines, into which coins are inserted by a customer to obtain a product. Columnar type dispensers, although reliable and accurate, are limited in the recycling of the customer inserted coins into the dispenser, thus requiring separate storage and accounting.
Vending machines and other machines that accept coin payments and dispense change require a front end coin acceptor to validate the coin as legal tender and identify the denomination. The information provided by the acceptor can be used to sort and account for the inventory of coins in the machine. Acceptor systems of this type are manufactured by companies such as Mars Electronics Inc., National Rejectors Inc., Coin Acceptors, Inc. (also known as CoinCo) and others. The acceptor units are generally adapted to particular sorting mechanisms.
Prior art sorting mechanisms generally are passive systems that rely primarily on gravity to distribute the coin by denomination. The sorting is generally accomplished by rolling or transporting the coins over a series of openings in a rail or plate on which the openings are arranged by size from the smallest to the largest. The coins progress on the rail or plate until the coin falls through its proper hole. Such systems are again reliant on the physical size of the coin and require different designs depending on the coin set in the particular market place. In addition, these mechanisms are somewhat large and require a certain height through which gravity can exercise control.
A more active type of sorter may be adapted for use with an acceptor unit front end. After a coin is accepted and identified a series of gates are triggered to define a vertical path for the coin to drop to its respective bin. Although less reliant on coin shape, these system still use gravity and require a considerable amount of space, particularly height in which to operate.
It is a purpose of the embodiments described in this application to provide a reliable system for recycling coins in a combined system of coin handling that provides acceptance/validation, sorting and dispensing. This is accomplished by adapting the output of an acceptor unit to at least partially control a sorting mechanism that distributes accepted coins by denomination into a bin type storage system for dispensing. It is another purpose of the embodiments of this application to generate data in digital form for reliably accounting for coins passing through the coin handling system. It is another purpose of the embodiments of this application to construct a sorter mechanism that combines high reliability, active sorting with an overall sorter mechanism package having drastically reduced height, while providing the ability to deliver sorted coins to widely separated end points, namely the bins or hoppers of the coin storage system.